Get Real
by jfqzx
Summary: Sometimes, we unintentionally delude ourselves and it takes another person has to pull us back into reality. Sakuno, 1st years, ?


Fandom: Prince of Tennis

Title: **Get Real **(Part 1)

Pairing: Tezuka/Sakuno

Rating: PG

Disclaimer: PoT and its characters belong to Konomi and so on. You know the drill.

Summary: Sometimes, we unintentionally delude ourselves and another has to pull us back into reality.

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Ryuuzaki Sakuno stared at sight before her. The hall was filled with students; as well as staff, who were taking the opportunity to have some stress relief from the mundane but hectic school life, dressed to the nines. That year the school committee had decided to do something different, and someone had come up with the suggestion- since the senior students' graduation ball was a week after Halloween, why not have it a little earlier and celebrate both at once instead? It would be an interesting change from the usual balls.

And indeed it appeared to be a success. The organizing committee had certainly outdone themselves this year. They made the interior of the hall look like one of those huge ballrooms you'd find in a Jane Austen novel, complete with a live string quartet playing, and white wigged waiters pouring glasses of 'champagne' and 'wine' which were actually sparkling fruit juices (to keep with the underage requirement). Although the theme was Halloween, since it was a formal school occasions (and a senior class graduation on top of that) they had decided to create theme, which was masquerade regency ball. That way, the students could dress up in the Halloween spirit and still respect the formality of the graduation.

Sakuno stared into the crowd, at a loss of what she should do. Because everyone was wearing a mask (in lieu of the masquerade theme), she was having a hard time recognizing anyone. She stood at the entrance of the hall looking feeling like a complete fool.

_I wonder if Ryoma-kun is here… I wonder what he's wearing. I'm sure he'll look great in a suit…_

She was so wrapped in her thoughts that she didn't hear someone call her name from a distance, and was only roughly jolted out of her reverie when she was practically tackle glomped and nearly lost her balance.

"Sakunooo! You've arrived!" An all too familiar voice exclaimed in her ear.

"Tomochan…" Sakuno greeted, managed a weak smile; her best friend's voice still rang in her head. Sometimes she wished the other girl would just tone down a little.

"Sakuno!" her best friend said happily, "I can't believe you actually wore that dress! I thought you said you wouldn't have the guts to wear it!"

"Well… I wasn't going too, but I decided trust Tomo's judgement!" she grinned.

Tomoka beamed back. "And indeed it was a good choice! Why, you look just like you're going to be married in it! This is just perfect! I bet Ryoma-sama will fall head over heels when he sees you! In fact, have you seen what he's wearing? You guys are going to look like the perfect couple! Come Sakuno!"

"What…" Sakuno almost could keep up with the amazing number of words per second that were spouting from her best friend's mouth. She heard Ryoma's name being mentioned somewhere in that babble and barely got to say "slow down Tomo…" when Tomoka grabbed her hand and pulled her into the crowd, still going on about how good Ryoma looked.

She could only sigh and follow along. A sudden dread crept up her spine with realization where this was going.

_I'm going to see Ryoma-kun!_

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_I just knew you would look as cute as usual Ryoma-kun. Even a period suit suits you…_

Of course she never said that out loud. In fact she did not say anything at all. She couldn't even if she wanted to. Somehow, the moment Echizen Ryoma was near her, all forms of coherent speech would mysteriously fly out of the window, and all she could do was to stare and well, stare.

This was exactly what she was experiencing at that very moment.

"Oskada. Ryuuzaki." The tennis captain greeted them impassively.

Ryoma wore a suit that was white from tip to toe, filling his suit nicely. His height and physique had finally started to develop over the past two years, making him a head taller than he was in junior high. Sakuno thought that he looked like a fallen angel with his messy dark hair hallowed faintly from the lights above. Not As expected, he had his mask off, tucked under one arm as he talked, the other holding a glass of some orangey liquid which was probably ponta. He was never one to follow the rules anyway.

Sakuno sighed inwardly. Despite all the years they had been schooling together, Ryoma still addressed them so formally. Sometimes she just wondered what her name would sound like coming from the casual tenor of his voice. _Is that all we are to you? Ryoma-kun _She wondered. _Just school mates? Horio, Katsuo, Kachiro, even the ex tennis club sempais call me Sakuno._

Tomoka, on the other hand as usual, did not even notice Ryoma's disinterested tone, hyped up on the fact that he had spoken to them. "Ryoma-sama!" She squeed in delight. "Ryoma that suit fits you perfectly, doesn't it Sakuno? Ne, did you realize that your clothes are the same colour! How cute! You both should take a picture together! You guys look like a prince and princess! Ne Ryoma, doesn't Sakuno look pretty?"

The boy gave Sakuno a quick once over, then shrugged casually. "I suppose. At least her hair is nicer today, not so long and troublesome."

"Yups! Sakuno spent a long time doing up her hair earlier! Sakuno, did you hear? Ryoma-kun just complimented you. At least say something about his cool costume in return. Ne, Sakuno, why are you so quiet?"

At this point, Sakuno felt her cheeks heat up considerably "Ano…" she gulped nervously, meeting Ryoma's olive gaze. "Arigatou Ryoma-kun."

Before anything else could be said, there was a squeal from a distance and a bunch of girls came up to greet Ryoma, they swamped around him chattering excitedly, not realizing that the boy was not at all interested, occasionally drinking from his glass of Ponta. And when he asked them rather bluntly "don't you have something better to do than hang around me," they just brushed it off and continued talking.

"Ano…" Sakuno stared at the girls of the Echizen Ryoma fan club, having been pushed to one side as a result. She looked around for Tomo and found her best friend glaring at the girls, trying to get them away from Ryoma-sama.

All around her, everyone seemed to be gathered into groups, chatting happily amongst themselves. And those that weren't were in the middle of the hall that was assigned as the dance space. Unconsciously, Sakuno started to wring her hands behind her, nervously, looking in Tomo's direction for assistance, but the latter was clearly preoccupied with matters of her own, still fending off the fan girls.

At that moment, Sakuno realized that she had never felt so alone before. The world beyond the entry doors suddenly looked very tempting, and she left the hall, deciding to take a walk. Perhaps that would help to calm her mind.

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Once outside, Sakuno realized that the situation was hardly any better. She had decided to go the small garden in the school, where she would sometimes go, her sketchpad in tow, for a brief retreat of quiet away from the chaos of the lunch room.

However, on a night like this, her usual haven was not empty. Couples sat huddled together in warm embraces, whispering softly to each other. Since everyone was wearing a mask, they were all able to act as they wanted to without being recognized. She found herself transfixed to a particular couple clad in white. The unidentifiable guy was facing his girlfriend, and very gently cupped her cheek, tilting her face upwards so that their lips met for a brief but passionate kiss. And when it was over, he took her in his arms so that they were now in a position, in which she was able leaned back lean back on his chest, his arms wrapped around her waist.

Sakuno found herself blushing at the intimate scene she was just witness to. She decided that it would probably be best if she left them alone before she was found out. But as she took a step back she accidentally stepped on a couple of dried twigs which made a resounding crunch that echoed in the silence of the night. They couple turned to stare at her, the boy wrapping his arms around the girl possessively, calling out, "hey, who's there!"

"Ano… gomen… I was just walking by… I… I didn't mean to intrude! Gomenasai!" she bowed and apologized meekly.

Then before anything else could happen, she turned and ran.

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_Gosh, you're so hopeless Sakuno!_ She mentally chided herself as she ran. _Those people were having a private moment and you had to go and stand and gape at them like a fool. How would you feel if you were kissing the love of your life and someone came and ruined the moment…? _

_But you'll never know how that feels like will you? No one would want such a clumsy stuttering girl like me… especially not… Ryoma-kun… For a moment I was imagining what it would be like if we were ever like that couple… Gosh, I hope they didn't recognize me…_

"Ano, where am I…"

She suddenly realized that she had run to a further part of the school that was barely lighted. In fact it was so dark that only the moon's glow and sparsely placed security lights illuminated the outline of the buildings that surrounded her.

_Good job Sakuno… Go run without knowing where you're going and get lost again. Is it a wonder why Ryoma doesn't think highly of you?_

Looking around, she spotted out a familiar wall of green netting. _Oh, I'm at the tennis courts._

"What are you doing here?"

The voice startled Sakuno so badly that she nearly screamed as in fright. She whirled around to face the mysterious speaker and stared.

Death stood before her, or at least someone who was dressed as Death from the masquerade scene out of the movie musical, The Phantom of the Opera. He wore a suit of deep crimson and a mask that covered half his face; an off white mask that was ridged like a skull and seemed to glow eerily under the moonlight. She squinted in the dim lighting, trying to figure out his identity.

Death spoke once again. The mystery man's voice was deep. "Did you not hear me? I asked what are you doing here alone."

By this point, Sakuno was tired of running and the stresses of the night were taking their toll on her. And demanding questions from some shady stranger, dressed as Death no less, was all she could take at that moment.

Something in her snapped. "I'm just out on a walk. Why? Is that not allowed?" she retorted sharply. "I could easily ask you the same thing!"

The man stared at her impassively. "This area is out of bounds. As a chaperone, my job is to patrol this area and make sure no students come here."

"Oh…" she said meekly, then questioned puzzled, "Why? What's wrong with coming here?"

"It's too far away from the main building, not to mention, poorly lighted. It is for precaution's sake. Previously it wasn't restricted but there have been reports in the past of boys luring a girl out here and assaulting her. I strongly suggest that you go back to where it is safer."

Sakuno shuddered at the thought. But going back into the hall, perhaps even bumping into that couple was too embarrassing. And then she'd have to put up with Tomoka and the others gushing over Ryoma. Then again, standing in the dark and talking to a total stranger at that was not exactly the best thing to do. He said that he was a chaperone, and she wondered how true that what. His voice seemed far too deep to be a student. Then again, one could never be certain, and the fact that he appeared out of no where was rather shady.

"Ano… how do I know that you're not like those guys you were talking about?" She asked, although she knew it was a rather pointless question. Of course if he were, he'd just lie, so that she'd have a false sense of security. "How do I know you're not prowling around waiting for innocent girls like me to come by?"

"I guess you just have to trust me."

"I'll take your word then… ano… do you mind if I sat here for a bit? I'll go back soon I promise."

"Hn…"

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When he had agreed to undertake this role, he never thought that he'd encounter any problems. He was only doing a favour for and old teacher who had happened to bump into him one day. "You can use it as an opportunity to relax. You look stressed." She had said. "And besides, you might be able to see him there; it is his cohort after all." There had been a lack in chaperone that year, some teachers had gone to attend a seminar over the weekend and were therefore unavailable.

If his old mentor had not been so insistent, he would not have agreed to it. Not only did he have to dress up in some ridiculous costume, but it'd also mean that as a chaperone he'd have to walk around and catch lovesick teenagers fooling around. When he could be sitting at home reading the new mystery novel he had just purchased or looking through his notes for his upcoming test. Not to mention the fact that his presence might create uproar.

Now he had to deal with this girl who clearly had no intentions of leaving. He gave up after a while, choosing to stand back and watch her silently. At least it didn't seem like she recognized him. The reason why he was given such a secluded area to patrol was so that there was a lesser chance of him being seen. The last thing he wanted was for the world to know that he was at a high school prom, in a masquerade outfit no less. Frankly, the past was the past and he rather preferred to leave it that way.

As he watched, he here was something familiar about her. He couldn't point out exactly what but he was almost certain that he had met her before. But she, like him was in a costume and mask, and the dim lighting made it even harder to place her.

She had chosen to sit on a bench nearby and stared into the tennis courts. It was too dark to tell her expression but she appeared to be in deep thought, sighing occasionally. Her shoulders were totally relaxed and slumped ungracefully, and together with the costume she wore, painted the picture of a rather depressed angel. Why was she here in the first place? He wondered. Shouldn't she be happily mixing with her friends? It was the graduation ball after all, a night most people would want to make fond memories of and take lots of pictures in the process. The corners of his mouth twitched slightly, fighting the urge to smile as he remembered his own graduation ball. It seemed so long ago.

Yet at the same time, he understood her choice and wanting to be alone. The hall was too bright, too filled with laughter and reminiscence, cameras flashing at an astonishing rate. It was not easy on the senses, especially when you were the kind who didn't really join in the festivities much, watching could be rather overwhelming. At least that's what it was like to him. And judging from her behaviour, he would not be in the least surprised if her sentiments were the same. Otherwise, why else would she be at the tennis courts of all places, and alone?

"Ano…" a soft voice broke his thoughts and he looked at her. "I don't mean to disturb you… I was just wondering… are you alone?"

When he gave no reply, she continued. "I mean, there don't seem to be other chaperones or teachers with you, I was just wondering if you're the only one here or…"

"I am by myself."

"Aa... then don't you feel weird? Being alone? I mean everyone is at the hall having a ball… heh, sorry for the bad pun."

"Hn… I admit I quite like it out here. The hall's too noisy sometimes."

"True."

Curiosity got the better of him. "I have my reasons for being here… How about you?"

"What about me…"

"Why are you here? Shouldn't you be celebrating with your friends?"

"I…" Sakuno was unable to answer. After a moment, she admitted softly, "This is going to sound stupid but I came here to get away from them actually..."

"Ah. Well, that's understandable."

She was surprised. She wasn't expecting that response and turned to look at him, arching a questioning eyebrow. "Sometimes, you can feel out of place even when you're with people you love." He explained.

"How true." She sighed. "Ano… do you mind if I asked you another thing?"

"Hn…"

"If there was someone you like, and that someone does not seem to notice you at all, what would you do?"

"Hn… I'll stop pursuing them and focus my attentions on something more worthwhile."

"Really?"

"These kinds of things will fade away after awhile. That's why it's called a crush."

"Wait…" She stammered. "I never said it was a crush."

"Well, isn't it? Tell me, how can you be in love with someone who doesn't pay attention to you at all? If you're in love with the guy, then why aren't you there with him? Why are you sitting here when you can be with him? Why are you so alone and doubtful of your feelings?"

Sakuno simply stared at him, not knowing what to say. What he said made sense. Indeed, she realized that she was always so uncomfortable around Ryoma because everyone seemed to be teasing them, hinting that they would make a perfect couple. But she had always wondered how that would be possible. Ryoma was such an opposite personality; he wasn't the kind to think of such things. His world revolved around tennis. Would she really want to be with someone who was so distant to her? She always thought that she'd be too in love with him to care, but now she realized the fact that she did care about this meant…

_I'm not in love with Ryoma-kun. _The realization hit her, andshe sat there, clearly stumped. The thought was too much for her to bear.

…But gosh did it make perfect sense. Love was something that developed over time and bonding… Love meant actually spending time alone and talking to each other. i Ryoma-kun and I never really talked did we… it was always hi and bye; and if I was lucky, he might have said something more. But we never held a proper conversation. I don't even know what he likes! And if I really loved him, I would've told him already…

Six years of giddy thrill- her heart pounding by the mere sight of him.

Six years of torment- getting cold feet while trying to speak to him, i wondering /i .

And all it took was one complete stranger to overturn it all and shove the truth in her face.

It felt like someone had dumped a bucket of icy water on her and while stunned, she also started to feel a little lighter, like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

"Ano… But what do I do now?" she asked, turning around, but he was gone.

The clock struck eleven thirty.

"Oh no, have I been out that long! I better get back in time for the unmasking before Tomo-chan and Obaa-san start to worry!"

Sakuno grabbed her mask and ran back to the hall.

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Hazel-gold eyes gleamed from behind the mask; watching from a distance. Then, when she had returned safely to the confines of the brightly light hall, he silently turned and walked back to his post, melting into the shadows.

_Good luck… Ryuuzaki._

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End file.
